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| Berlin Youth Choir | |
|---|---|
| Name | Berlin Youth Choir |
| Origin | Berlin, Germany |
| Genre | Choral music |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
Berlin Youth Choir is a mixed-voice ensemble based in Berlin that trains adolescent singers in choral literature and performance. Founded in the late 20th century, the choir has participated in national and international festivals, collaborated with orchestras and conductors, and produced studio recordings. It maintains links with conservatories, cultural institutions, and youth music initiatives across Europe.
The choir emerged during a period of cultural renewal in Berlin following German reunification, interacting with institutions such as the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Early collaborators included conductors affiliated with the Berlin State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and ensembles from the Berlin University of the Arts. Initial repertoire and touring opportunities were shaped by contacts with festivals like the Young Euro Classic, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. The ensemble received invitations to perform at venues linked to the Alexanderplatz cultural scene, and its development involved partnerships with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Senate of Berlin arts programs. Over time the choir worked with guest conductors connected to the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Bach-Archiv Leipzig, and the Staatskapelle Dresden, and collaborated with soloists from the Berlin State Opera chorus and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Tours and residencies extended to cities such as Paris, Vienna, London, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, Prague, Zurich, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Budapest, Milan, Lisbon, Sofia, Belgrade, Istanbul, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kyiv, Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Reykjavík, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bologna, Turin, Naples, Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck, Graz, Bremen, Hamburg, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Munich, Nuremberg, Leipzig and Dresden.
The choir operates within a framework involving municipal cultural agencies, music education centers, and partnerships with the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. Its administrative board has liaised with organizations such as the German Music Council, the European Choral Association, and youth charities including Jugend musiziert and the European Youth Portal. Membership draws from Berlin boroughs like Mitte, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, Charlottenburg, Prenzlauer Berg, Neukölln, Pankow, Steglitz, Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, and auditions are held in collaboration with schools linked to the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Artistic leadership has included conductors with training from the Royal Academy of Music, the Juilliard School, the Royal College of Music, the Mozarteum University Salzburg, and conservatories such as the Conservatoire de Paris. The choir’s governance has involved trustees with ties to the German Cultural Council, the Goethe-Institut, and philanthropic foundations like the Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
The ensemble performs an eclectic repertoire spanning sacred works by Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Antonín Dvořák, Gustav Mahler, and Johannes Brahms; twentieth-century pieces by Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, Olivier Messiaen, Dmitri Shostakovich, Béla Bartók, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Arvo Pärt; and contemporary commissions from composers affiliated with the SWR Experimentalstudio, the Donaueschinger Musiktage, and composers associated with the IRCAM network. The choir routinely prepares secular choral cycles, folk arrangements from the Baltic states, Slavic traditions, and African-diaspora settings arranged by artists from the Berlin Philharmonic Choir alumni and guests from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. Stylistically it balances historically informed performance practices for early music drawn from the Early Music movement and original scores, with contemporary techniques encouraged by collaborations with the Berlin Contemporary Music Ensemble and electroacoustic projects at the Technische Universität Berlin.
Regular season performances take place at venues including the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Philharmonie Berlin, the Schaubühne, the Kulturforum, and liturgical settings such as the Berliner Dom and the Nikolaikirche. The choir has appeared at international festivals such as Lucerne Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Salzburg Festival, Bregenzer Festspiele, and the BBC Proms. Collaborative projects included joint concerts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Staatskapelle Berlin, chamber groups from the Berlin Philharmonic, and cross-disciplinary events with institutions like the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Tours have involved cultural diplomacy programs organized with the German Foreign Office and exchanges with ensembles such as the Canterbury Cathedral Choir, the Vienna Boys' Choir, the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, the Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois and youth choirs from Seoul, Tokyo, New York City, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Cape Town, and Sydney.
Educational initiatives include workshops with faculty from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, masterclasses led by staff from the Royal College of Music, and collaborative youth projects with the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family. Outreach programs have engaged refugee communities in partnership with UNO Flüchtlingshilfe affiliates and local NGOs such as Die Berliner Stadtmission and Caritas Berlin, and cultural inclusion projects with the European Youth Choirs network. The choir runs summer academies inspired by curricula at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Saarbrücken International Summer Courses, and exchange residencies modeled on programs at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Discography and media presence include studio albums produced in cooperation with labels affiliated with the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, independent releases on ECM Records-style imprints, and radio broadcasts on stations such as Deutschlandfunk Kultur, rbb Radio, BBC Radio 3, Radio France Musique, and NDR Kultur. The choir has contributed to film soundtracks produced by studios that collaborated with the Berlinale film festival and recorded sessions at venues like the Funkhaus Berlin and the Adlershof Media City. Multimedia projects involved partnerships with the Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and experimental scores for theater productions staged at the Volksbühne.
The choir has received awards and distinctions from competitions and institutions including accolades at the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing-associated events, prizes from the National Association of Choirs of Germany and citations from the City of Berlin cultural honors. Individual members and alumni have won scholarships from the DAAD, the Fulbright Program, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, and placements in conservatory competitions such as the ARD International Music Competition and the Schubert Competition.
Category:German youth choirs